Misten Schelhaas, daughter of Bruce and
Dawn Schelhaas of Balaton, is Community Relations Coordinator for
the Sioux Falls Canaries, a team in the Northern League, an
independent baseball league.

The 1999 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton graduate
began with the Canaries last March as an intern. She had
graduated in December from the University of Minnesota, Twin
Cities, where she majored in Sociology of Law, Criminology and
Deviance, and Psychology. She was looking for a full-time job for
the summer before she started graduate school, and wasnt
sure what she would attend graduate school for.

Her older sister, Mandi Haase, was
determined to get her to move closer to home, said Schelhaas. Her
cousin, Greg Schelhaas, once played first base for the Canaries,
so her family was familiar with the team.

Mandi called Canaries Operation Manager
Julie Malmberg, and convinced her to give Misten an interview.

I thought working for a baseball
team for a summer would be a blast, so I decided to try it
out, Schelhaas said. She was offered an internship under
the General Manager, who at the time was John Hindle.

At the end of her internship, Canaries
management changed hands and Schelhaas was offered a full-time
position. She decided to put graduate school on hold, since she
was still undecided about her choice of studies, and continue to
gain experience in the sports field.

Schelhaas said her main responsibility
is to create a favorable image of the Canaries. This includes
setting up player and mascot appearances, charity events, and
other community projects.

She also works with the local media to
make sure the public is informed about whats happening at
the Birdcage (Sioux Falls Stadium). Her work involves writing
press releases, arranging press conferences, keeping records of
where the Canaries name shows up in the media, overseeing the
teams website, and producing a newsletter.

Schelhaas said the love of baseball drew
her to the job.

I thought all it took to work in
sports was a love of the game, but there is really more to it
than that, she said.

The hours can be hectic during the
season, she said. For example, there are days when she comes in
to work at 8 a.m., leaves at 1 or 2 the next morning, and comes
back to work at 8.

A month of two of that really
tests your love of the game, she said.

The job doesnt slow down much in
the off-season. They plan 48 parties for the summer, and it takes
all year to get ready for the season, Schelhaas said. Some tasks
include selling season tickets, selling merchandise, setting up
sponsorships, group outings, and special promotions, as well as
producing all of their print projects such as schedules,
brochures, souvenir programs, ticket booklets, ticket stock,
newspaper ads, and promotional materials.

Schelhaas enjoys the creativity her job
allows her to express.

I am a huge baseball fan, and now
I get the chance to take ideas that I have and make them a
reality at the ballpark. Its awesome to have John Kuhn, our
general manager and my boss, throw out an idea, and have myself
and my co-workers work with it to make something fun.

Her co-workers are another enjoyable
part of the job.

We all share a love for baseball
and care about the experience of our fans, she said.
The Canaries have a long history of being a great place for
everyone on a summer night, and its something that I am
very proud to have the opportunity to be a part of.

Balaton native Brian Pickering is the
teams trainer.

Schelhaas said she enjoys seeing people
from Southwest Minnesota at the Birdcage, and encourages anyone
who comes out to stop and say hi.

As one of only a few women working in
the industry, Schelhaas encourages girls to not be afraid to give
a career in sports a try.

Women bring a unique perspective
to the sports arena, and I encourage young women who are
interested in being more than receptionists and cheerleaders to
apply for internships with sports teams.

  

The Sioux Falls Canaries season runs
from May through Labor Day. Other teams in the Northern League
include the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks, Joliet JackHammers, Gary
Southshore Railcats, Kansas City T-Bones, Saint Paul Saints,
Schaumburg Flyers, Sioux City Explorers, Winnipeg Goldeyes, and
two expansion teams, the Edmonton Cracker-Cats and Calgary, which
doesnt have a name yet.

For more on the team, visit
www.canariesbaseball.com.

City following up SMSU business leads

Tracy business leaders are following up
on several economic development leads generated by a Southwest
Minnesota State University class.

Some of the ideas that they gave
us could be huge, said Robert Gervais, Tracy economic
development director.

Thirty-six SMSU students presented Tracy
business development ideas to local people at a Dec. 7 forum in
Tracy. The proposals, drafted as a class project, required
students to develop in-depth plans for prospective business
ventures in Tracy.

Gervais thinks enough of one lead that
he is planning a Jan. 10 trip to Arkansas with three other Tracy
people to meet with owners of an expanding technology company.
The company, Gervais said, has expressed a strong interest in
establishing an operation in Tracy, and has extended an
invitation for a tour its facilities.

Business expansion ideas presented by
students ranged from door and utility trailer manufacturers to
the development of a franchised daycare center and franchised
motel. Gervais doesnt feel that all of the SMSU ideas are
feasible, but he says several are worth pursuing. The groundwork
that the SMSU students have laid, Gervais would have taken him
months to accomplish on his own.

  

In developing workable business ideas
for Tracy, students were to analyze the strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats to each proposal. Often, students
found that their ideas werent practical. One group
considered the construction of a new movie theater in Tracy, for
example, only to conclude that the Tracy market wasnt large
enough to support a facility that could be competitive with
existing theaters.

Tracys major strengths in
attracting new business and jobs, students decided, were its
tax-free Job Opportunity Building Zones, a stable and
hard-working labor force, community optimism, and the existence
of railroad, airport, and major highway transportation and the
availability of infrastructure, including high-speed Internet
connections. Students noted that Tracy, unlike many small towns,
has a hospital, two nursing homes, and a K-12 school system.
Students also considered nine churches as a community asset.

Tracys weaknesses, students
concluded, included an aging population, the lack of
English-language skills in some segments of the population, its
distance from Interstate highways, and lack of railroad switching
facilities in town.

Students described the difficulty that
they frequently encountered in getting access to decision-makers
at companies.

  

SMSU Professor John Gochenouer, who
taught the class, said that students were told to select
businesses that would not adversely affect existing businesses.
Tracy is the third town that his class has selected for a
business development plan.

People attending the Dec. 7 meeting
included representatives of the Tracy Area Development
Corporation, Tracy Economic Development Authority, and Tracy City
Council.

FFA savors fruitful campaign

Tailgates agape, a caravan of vehicles
backed up to the Tracy Area High School ag room Monday afternoon.
Inside, a platoon of students hoisted and counted boxes of
grapefruit, oranges, and apples.

Deliveries for the Tracy FFAs
annual fruit sale were underway.

About $17,000 worth of merchandise was
sold in this years drive, according to FFA advisor Paul
Skoglund. The event is the chapters largest fund-raiser of
the year.

Like all FFA activities, the fruit sale
stresses hands-on student involvement. FFA members in grades 9-12
are responsible for taking their own orders, making deliveries,
and collecting the money. Parents sometimes get involved too,
especially if their son or daughter is too young to have a
drivers license.

The Tracy FFA has typically bought their
fruit directly from an orchard in Florida. But a severe hurricane
season in Florida wiped out many orchards. Skoglund said that
sources in Texas and California provided most of the FFAs
fruit this year, although at significantly higher prices compared
with last year.

Besides fruit, the FFA sale includes
several other food items such as beef jerky, cheese sticks, and
herring.

Laura Lanoue and David Schiller
coordinated the fruit drive.

Kids spread holiday cheer to food shelf

Tracy Elementary School students
collected nearly 1,600 food items for the Tracy Food Shelf during
a recent food drive.

The drive began Nov. 29 ended Dec. 10.
Students competed to see which class could bring in the most
food, with the winning class promised a pizza party. Coming
within five food items of each other were the fifth and sixth
grade classes, so both will be rewarded with a pizza party.

Student council president James Fultz
said the goal of the drive was to do something for people who are
less fortunate during the holidays. The entire student
bodykindergarten through sixth gradeparticipated in
the drive.

Peer counselors from Tracy Area High
School helped deliver the food to the Tracy Food Shelf Friday
afternoon.

School board has no interest in selling
landIssue dies for lack of motion

By Val Scherbart Quist

Land owned by District 417 will not be
the site of Tracys next housing addition.

The issue died for lack of a motion at
the Tracy Area Public Schools Board of Education meeting Monday
following time set aside for public comment.

Robert Gervais of the Tracy Economic
Development Authority (EDA) started the discussion. He said the
first question was whether the school district needs or would
need the land.

If you do, its a moot
point, he said. If not, we would like to put some
houses there.

He said he doesnt think one
housing development is sufficient in Tracy because people want to
have choices. He said some people dont understand why the
EDA would want to put houses by the school.

Its prime real estate,
he said. He noted that in many communities schools draw housing
developments, and cited the new school in Marshall as an example.
He added that the EDA would dictate what types of housing could
be built on the lot to ensure quality houses are built.

I think as a community we need to
grow, and growth means change, he said.

He said he thinks Tracy needs housing,
and that if the goal is to attract families, the school land
would be the best place to build.

Brian Ludeman spoke in opposition of the
sale.

One of the best attributes this
school has right now is the buffer zone that surrounds it,
he said.

He expressed concern that the housing
development would be too close to the elementary school. He said
that in Marshall, the current high school has a buffer between it
and the houses that surround it, and that the new school would
have a buffer too.

Ludeman said something that would
benefit the public might be a better use of the land.

Paul Knoblauch also spoke in opposition
of the sale. He has many concerns, including traffic and noise
issues, and agreed with Ludeman that a buffer zone is needed.

He said the district may need the land
in 20 to 30 years.

Times change and areas
change, he said.

He said if the board did decide to sell
the land, he hoped that the development would be on the tax roll
within three to five years so the district would receive the tax
dollars generated.

Gervais responded that the property
currently does not generate any taxes. He said that as the city
of Tracy tries to attract industry, lack of housing is a major
concern.

Industry and housing go hand in
hand. If the housing isnt there, we wont attract
industry, he said. We lack that in Tracy.

Board member Eric Nelson said he
didnt think anyone was against new housing developments,
but that there is plenty of available land that is not school
property.

Gervais responded that the EDA can
lookand has lookedelsewhere, but that they want the
best possible scenario to draw people in. He said he is open to
suggestions on what would be the best location to draw in
families.

Sylvia Vahle spoke next in opposition of
the sale. She said her husband, John, served on the school board
at the time the schools were built, and that a major
consideration in choosing the location was safety.

That is your first priority more
than anything else is to remember the children because
thats who youre serving, she said. That
nice, green island that we have around the
schoolthats for the children.

Mike Carlson, a former school board
member, agreed that safety was an issue, and said the land could
possibly be needed by the district for softball or baseball
fields. A more community-based project, such as a theater or
gymnasium might also be an option, he said.

You might need that property
someday.

Vahle agreed.

We dont know whats
ahead of us, she said, citing the old elementary school
that was destroyed by the tornado in 1968 as an example.

Gervais addressed the safety issue. He
said there are kids crossing busy streets and highways everyday
to go to school.

Wouldnt it be a
bad problem if we had 20 houses built there and we
had to hire a crossing guard or put up some lights? he
said. If we look back 30 years from now and this land is
still empty, are we going to ask if we did the right thing?

Following a few more comments from
people opposing the sale, board chairman Dan Zimansky asked the
board if anyone would like to make a motion in favor of the sale.
Hearing no motion, Zimansky moved on to other business.

Decision time looms for waste-to-energy
plant

By Val Scherbart Quist

The deadline is approaching for area
counties to say yes or no to a proposed
waste-to-energy facility in Lamberton.

Eighteen counties in Southwest Minnesota
were originally asked to participate in the project, which is
expected to cost $37-$40 million. Several counties, including
Lyon County, have already chosen not to participate.

Redwood County Commissioner Brian
Kletscher said a meeting was held Nov. 12 with representatives
from the nine counties still in talks at that time. At the
meeting, discussion was held on the proposed joint powers
agreement and the financial implications each county would face
if the project moves forward.

Of the nine counties that were still
involved in discussions, Redwood and Lincoln counties have since
signed the joint powers agreement, and Jackson County has decided
not to sign, said Kletscher. Counties yet to make a decision are
Kandiyohi, Meeker, Renville, Yellow Medicine, Murray, and
Pipestone.

At the November meeting, Kletscher said,
counties were asked to make their decision by Dec. 15. He said
the deadline will likely be extended until January for counties
that have requested that those spearheading the project come back
and do another cost analysis. Kletscher said this will be done,
and hopes commissioners in those counties will provide input at
that time.

He said at least five counties would
probably be needed in order to make the waste-to-energy facility
work. That depends on the size of the counties that sign on, he
added.

Kletscher said that while he would not
like to see the facility downsized, that would be taken into
consideration once the final number of counties that are going to
participate is known.

We dont want to do that, but
we will look at that option if we have to, he said.

In the research that has been done,
Kletscher said, a number of facilities have been looked at. Among
them is a facility in Fosston, located in Polk County. This
facility takes in garbage from five counties, and burns 100 tons
per day.

We know these facilities can work,
but its a matter of cost-effectiveness, Kletscher
said.

Had all 18 counties that were originally
approached about the project signed on, facility size and cost to
individual counties wouldnt be as big of an issue, said
Kletscher.

Its more difficult as we
move forward with fewer counties involved.

Benefits vs. costs

Kletscher believes strongly that the
benefits of a waste-to-energy facility in Southwest Minnesota far
outweigh the costs, particularly when it comes to the environment
and energy needs.

In this day of high energy costs,
we need to look at all the energy resources in front of us. I
think we owe it to the general public to capitalize on that
instead of burying it in the ground and leaving it there.

Leonard Runck, who is another supporter
of the project, agreed.

Its in the publics
best interest to take a resource like garbage and turn it into
another resource like energy, he said. Most would
agree that burying garbage or landfilling is not the best
option.

Runck, RRCNet Network Administrator,
became involved in the project when representatives of the
Redwood County Commissioners and city of Lamberton approached the
Red Rock Central School District about helping with literature,
documents, Power Point Presentations, and other promotional
items.

Kletscher said adding jobs to the region
could be another benefit of a waste-to-energy facility. He said
there would probably be 25-30 employees at the start, and that
the number could grow from there.

Additional jobs could stem from the
project as well, he said. French Ag Research out of Lamberton has
signed a letter of intent for partial use of steam energy that
would be produced at the facility, Kletscher said. The company is
looking into the possibility of a corn processing facility, he
said.

Thats whats so great
about this if we can pull it all together, Kletscher said.

He said once the joint powers agreement
is passed, the project timeline would begin to move along more
quickly. The permitting process would begin shortly after
approval, and counties would be asked to make a financial
commitment up-front. Late 2007 or early 2008 would be the target
date for the facility to be up and running.

I encourage people that if their
county isnt involved, to make contact with their
commissioners and voice their concerns, whether theyre for
or against it, said Kletscher.

Runck said he is hopeful that the
project will move forward.

If Redwood County sticks to their
guns, I think its going to happen, he said.